


We Were Younger - Gumlee AU

by bubbkings



Category: Adventure Time
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Angst and Feels, Canon Gay Relationship, Heavy Angst, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I'm Going to Hell, I'm Sorry, M/M, So Wrong It's Right, Teen Angst, Teenage Drama, Teenagers, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-10
Updated: 2016-02-10
Packaged: 2018-05-19 14:41:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5970733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bubbkings/pseuds/bubbkings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>«Someday, we will foresee obstacles, through the blizzard»<br/>Gabriel Gumball is a Senior art student, who tends to stress himself out over tiny details. He's the only child of a famous couple, and thinks his life is getting heavier with each day. However, once a person steps in his way, he soon discovers the world doesn't revolve around him, and that he might not be the only one with problems. From that point on, everything will become a living hell.</p><p>This is a Human AU heavily inspired by the fictional world of Ooo/Aaa! Original on my FF.Net: bubbkings <3<br/>This may contain: drug use, underage sexual themes, homophobia, violence, domestic abuse, strong language, self-harm and suicidal behavior.<br/>However, this story is filled with LGBTA+ themes from the fourth chapter on. If you're not cool with that, feel free to ignore this one. Again, thanks for reading! <3</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. As If You Had A Choice

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be a slow fic omg  
> Feel free to leave a review though <33  
> This is heavily inspired by the game Life is Strange and a variety of songs.  
> You should listen to the playlist "We Were Younger" in Spotify while reading! I'll try to update it soon. I'll leave a link somewhere here. https://open.spotify.com/user/soficute55-ar/playlist/3djBCqFjpT1krOgb9w7d3o  
> Thanks for reading!

Gabriel wouldn't have noticed the strange boy if it weren't for Fionna Mertens, because Gabriel ordinarily didn't look out the window of the school bus. He preferred to read comics and mystery books on the morning ride to Asheville Academy.

Ever since that day, his interest and curiosity for him grew stronger, and stronger.

Was he really worth his time? He seemed like it.

But everything quickly went to hell.

* * *

The teacher was at it again.

Talking about stuff no one else cared about.

Well, some actually cared since he was the teacher and his classes about history of art were quite interesting. But he somehow always ended up talking about his personal experience and that was when everything became a burden.

A positive part about it was that one could daydream while the man ranted about his daily life endlessly. One could think about the future, picture oneself in different scenarios, plan out different kinds of possible jobs and carriers, think about choosing a decent college. It was easier when you had nothing else to focus on.

But of course, one just couldn't slip away for one miserable second because you would be brought back to reality rather harshly.

"-Gumball!"

"Ah! Wha-!?"

Everyone was laughing at him. _Again_. He had fallen asleep in class. _Again_.  
And it was just his second day, wasn't that convenient?

The teacher sighed, making clear that he had little patience.

"Could you please answer my question?"

Gabriel grimaced. What had he asked? He was starting to panic, but the teacher was already repeating himself for him.

"One of the oldest continuous artistic traditions in the world and its methods, Gabriel?"

"Um... Japane-No! Uh, Chinese! The earliest paintings were not representational, but ornamental... They were not pictures but uhm..."

He stayed silent. He had forgotten. It was not weird, he was just a nervous teen, what was he supposed to do in that situation?

"Patterns and designs, Gabriel."

The teacher sighed.

"Go wash your face. I don't want to catch you sleeping again or I'll be forced to make you have a small talk with the Principal."

* * *

While he made his way to the bathroom, he was free to get lost in his thoughts again.

His sleeping accident had a justification. Sorta. He hadn't slept, not even in the slightest, the night before. And not because he didn't want to, but because he just couldn't. He had been having those issues throughout the entirety of the summer vacation and the first days of school. God knows why he had gotten insomnia all of the sudden when he used to sleep like a baby. Maybe the stress.

But it was embarrassing nonetheless. He had never fallen asleep in class like those two first times. He had always been an attentive man. He didn't love school, no teen his age did, but he did enjoy attending classes. It wasn't so bad after all.

Gabriel pushed the bathroom door open, rather harshly, and proceeded to wash his face. He couldn't even look at himself in the mirror; the bags under his eyes made him look like a walking corpse.

He took his glasses off to analize the dark spots closely, but that was when he noticed it.

The bathroom.

It reeked of burning plastic.

It was a stale odor; unbearable to say the least. One could also see faint smoke around one of the stalls.

He had walked into someone smoking. _Great_.

It didn't even smell like normal tobacco, his aunt was a smoker, so he would know. No, this smelled completely different. The hell was that thing?

He heard someone coughing. _That's what you get for wasting your lungs on dirty smoke._

"I hope that asshole finally hands me my money." A masculine voice sighed from inside the smoke surrounded stall. It startled Gabriel for a moment, making him think the person had noticed his presence, but he grew relieved when he noticed it was not the case. Still, finding them talking to themselves was sort of weird.

His strike of luck didn't last long, for the stall door violently opened, revealing a black haired teen with a meth pipe in hand.

_Marshall Lee Abadeer?_

They both stared at each other in unbelief for some reason. Gabriel was shocked upon noticing he had been inhaling the rests of a dangerous drug, and the black haired guy... Well, he wasn't expecting company.

It didn't take long for Gabriel to be pinned against the wall by the other.

"What the fuck are you doing here, you dumbass!?"

He was obviously high. Out of his mind.

"Uh... This is a public bathroom..." The boy with the glasses dared to respond.

He was violently shoved against the wall once again. His answer didn't satisfy the bully.

"Teachers don't usually let students come to the bathroom minutes before lunch break." He interrupted himself to cough. His breath reeked as well. "So that's bullshit."

Gabriel grimaced. "Why are you skipping class just to get high anyways? You could do it at your home, where it wouldn't affect anyone else."

The guy looked almost offended and ready to punch the life out of the other terrified teen, but the bell conveniently saved his guts.

Marshall frowned and let go of him, allowing him to fall to the floor. "Leave. Now. We will finish this later. Pray that I don't see you around."

And like that, he shoved the meth pipe into his bag and he walked out. Gabriel was left to reposition himself and to pout. _But it was a public bathroom..._

He made his way out of the bathroom and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his pants. He had had enough for one day. He wanted to go home. He wanted to sleep. But he couldn't.

At least the rest of the day went well enough. Something he hadn't expected, but it helped him relax.

It was the same routine, the same as the previous year, the same as every other year.

Boring science and technology classes. Mildly interesting art classes. Lunch breaks, which he spent alone most of the time. More boring classes. And then the time everyone went home. That time everyone always enjoyed.

He had forgotten about the events that had taken place in the morning, he felt relaxed.

But he kept on wondering the same thing throughout the entire day.

Wow. Was Marshall Lee a junkie now? He really had hit bottom. He remembered the first time he had tried talking to him and how he just shoved him out of his way. How he used to put pathetic insults on him, or give him wedgies in gym class. He didn't know he was into drugs or anything, though he looked like the type that would smoke until he fell into a comatose of some sort. But one thing he knew is that now he was going to target him again. This last year was going to be a burden, wasn't it?

Gabriel walked out of the school building, the well-known Asheville Art Academy—Or AAA—and looked up at the grey sky. It had been raining the entire morning, and it didn't seem like it was going to stop.

A sigh escaped the teen's lips, and he stepped into the rain, not before taking out his umbrella. It looked like a cupcake when one would open it. He felt kind of embarrassed and had always told himself that he needed to get his own umbrella. That one belonged to his mother, and it was a dearly loved object for him—still was pretty embarrassing—.

He brushed copper blonde bangs away from his face and grimaced as the water from a small puddle he had stepped in went directly through the fabric of his pants and made one of his legs cold.

_Flipping nice. Just flipping nice._

Gabriel's grip on the umbrella tightened, he was getting frustrated, but decided to keep going for his own sake. He needed to get home and drop himself on his soft, warm bed. His bed was good. His bed would never betray him or turn its back on him. He loved his bed. And who didn't?

He hadn't even noticed he was getting lost into his thoughts once again until he heard footsteps, stepping roughly over water puddles, right behind him.  
His first reflect was to turn around, of course, to see who that could be. Probably someone going in the same way he was, producing annoyingly loud sounds whilst walking. But he just couldn't be more wrong.

It was that Abadeer guy. Red and grey umbrella in hands. His black bangs covered his menacing glare almost completely.

Gabriel could swear he had almost stopped where he was upon spotting the other male. But he didn't. Why was he there? Behind him? He had never seen him around before, at least not walking down the same path. He was pretty sure he lived elsewhere. So... _Why_?

He tried to reassure himself that Lee was just going the same direction to get something he needed... Right? And he conveniently was going the same way Gabriel was... _Right?_ But then realization slapped him in the face. It was a stupid conclusion, he was indeed following him.

The black haired teen just made it more obvious as soon as he started sprinting towards Gabriel.

Both panic and anxiety ran through his entire body. And maybe that was why he started to run as well.

"L-Leave me alone!" He yelled, but he didn't get a response. The only thing he could hear were agitated, angered breaths chasing after him, getting closer and closer.

It was too late for when Gabriel decided it was a good time to turn around to see if he was at least leaving the other behind, because he suddenly felt his back hit the ground with a loud thump.

Marshall was suddenly over him, one hand gripping his wrists to prevent him from escaping and the other clenched in a fist. He had this smirk on his lips that made Gabriel just cringe.

"W-What is your problem-?" The boy underneath breathed. "We were making a good start this year, why not leaving me the hell alone? What did I even do to you t-today?"

"You were pretending to outsmart me and then get away with it, you dumb fuck." Marshall snapped, the grip on Gabriel's wrists tightening and making him groan at the sudden pain. "No one outsmarts me and gets away with it." His fang-like canines peeked out his lips. People always theorized that he was some kind of vampire or ghoul of some sort—which was improbable—, and those teeth were an obvious reason to state such thing.

Gabriel shifted uncomfortably under the teen and tried his best to escape his grip. "What? I wasn't trying to outsmart you! I was just stating the obvious, what the fuck!?"

"Well, next time, if I were you, I would keep my goddamn mouth shut. You didn't tell anyone anyways, did you?"

How in god's name had he gotten himself in a situation like this?

_The way Gabriel saw Lee never changed._

He was the average guy who thought was so rough and rebel. He had little respect for students, and even less respect for teachers. He lacked common sense, he skipped classes whenever he wanted to. It was amazing how he had managed to not get expelled. It was amazing how, despite hating school with a burning passion, he hadn't dropped out. Maybe his parents didn't approve of that mentality. But yet again, absolutely no one knew about Marshall Lee's family, about his father, about his mother. Not even his closest friends knew.

That's how he looked in Gabriel's eyes; a pitiful brat.

And that pitiful brat had been picking on him for years.

Well, Marshall Lee always picked on everyone and anyone. And no one even dared to confront him because everyone feared him. He was popular, not because he had a good reputation but because how intimidating he was; his dark hair always contrasted with the dark clothing he'd wear. He had this deep, menacing tone of voice that made one get the creeps. Bags under his eyes that yelled "I don't sleep. I need some sleep, but I don't get it anyways." He listened to violent music, punk pop and rock, small subgenres of metal, things with inappropriate lyrics that would give his already twisted mind more twisted ideas. And most importantly, he had inhuman strenght, he was the best at P.E. and number one in the Track Team. He was a menace.

When Gabriel first entered Sophomore year in the well-known art academy, he was already calling him names and everything. He was his main target.

And the situation didn't go any better once Gabriel's likes and ways to live made it to the bully's ears.

He started doing the impossible to make his life a misery.

Gabriel wasn't a perfect child. He got frustrated easily when things didn't go his way. Still, he did well in school, even though his nervousness usually got him into a lot of stress. He liked baking to releave his nerves, in fact, there was a small baking club in the academy that he loved to attend every now and then. He enjoyed indie musical rhythms—for he found them to be delightfully relaxing—, pastel colors and contemporary art styles and photography. People often mistaked him for a hispter.

Marshall found this to be extremely annoying. Every single thing Gabriel did, he loathed. And that just gave him more excuses to humilliate the poor guy.

Last time they had talked they ended up verbally fighting. Gabriel had said a few things that were personal for Marshall—things about his mother and his personal life that would offend anyone. Lee took these things very seriously— and he was ready to kill him. But the bell rang, school was over, and that gave Gabriel an opportunity to flee and never see him again.

At least not until next year.

Now they both found themselves in a situation they were never expecting to be in. Marshall was having his long-awaited payback, and it was him who gave the first hit, right through Gabriel's glasses and into his eye.

He was engulfed in rage.

"You're a worthless piece of shit! You can't mind your own business so you stick your nose into others'!" The black-haired teen yelled, throwing another punch, which this time was stopped by Gabriel's hand.

Both of them gasped at the unexpected action. But this gave the boy with the—broken—glasses time to stand up and run. It's a shame a hand around his ankle stopped him and made him fall against the wet pavement again. Even when he had gotten multiple bruises around his body, Gabriel wasn't planning on giving up anytime soon. He wouldn't let that miserable teen get away with what he was doing. He tried standing up with shaky legs again, but only ran for a few feet before he was again pinned against a wall. This guy wouldn't give up, would he?

Every word that was spat out that day resonated through his mind.

_"You only go after me because your life is miserable shit and you want to feel better with yourself! Am I wrong, Lee?!"_

Did he really think he could talk to and befriend this unstable guy back in Sophomore Year? How foolish was he?

This time, the other male had really taken him by surprise with what he was holding; The meth pipe. It was broken, glass scattered all over the floor. Before any of the boys noticed, the other end of sharp glass was inches away from the troath of one of them. Gabriel's. It would have been so easy to slice it open and let the body to rot.

_"Why do you hate me so much?!"_

Warm tears started to roll down his cheeks as the sky cried with him. He was completely frozen. Both of them were.

"I-I... Hate you so much..." He mumbled helplessly.

_"You're not worth it. Go fuck yourself."_

This seemed to make Marshall react. His eyes widened even more, showing off his copper pupils. They were almost red if one would look close enough.

_Just why?_

He let go of the other and tossed the glass instrument away, letting it break somewhere else. "Shut the fuck up!" He cried out.

As he stood up, Gabriel felt a small tear against his cheek. But it wasn't his, nor it was the cold rain. It was a warm tear. _Marshall's._

"Just shut the fuck up!"

He ran away. Just like that. Without saying anything else.

Gabriel sat up and wiped his tears. He looked around. The streets were empty.

He stood up, weakly of course, and proceeded to pick up his umbrella. It was safe. He couldn't say the same about his glasses, which he quickly shoved into his satchel.

He started walking home when he noticed the red and grey umbrella in the middle of the street, rolling with the wind. It was damaged. It was a shame. _What a waste of money._

He made it home. It was warm, but empty. His aunt must have been out.

He left his green umbrella on a side of the main door, along with the red and grey one he had brought home with him. It was never too late to repair it. Not like he cared, he just enjoyed fixing the broken.

He seemed indifferent about what had happened. About how he had almost died. It was like he didn't even care. Maybe he just didn't have time to worry. Maybe he was just too shocked to recall every single moment as the fight went on, the glass against his skin, the look on the other's face...

Gabriel sighed, brushing wet bangs out of his eyes.

After taking a warm shower and getting something hot to drink, he headed upstairs. First, he made sure his aunt wasn't there either. She might not have been downstairs, but she could have been upstairs. He looked into every single room. No trace of the woman. He actually felt relieved that she was nowhere to be seen. Sometimes, being alone was for the best.

He entered his room, tossed his satchel away and dropped himself over the bed. There, he felt free to cry his pain away. To cry, now that no one could see how much of a dumbass he felt.

* * *

_And that was just the second day._

He found himself into the school bathroom again. Washing his face just like the previous two days.

He hadn't seen Lee this time. Not in the classroom, not in the bathroom. He must had skipped school again.

But thinking about that guy made Gabriel start to wonder.

Was Marshall Lee, the toughest guy in school, the egotistical and unbreakable bully, really crying that rainy afternoon?

And if he was indeed crying...

Then... _Why was he crying?_

He could have been wondering for hours, it felt better than everything else considering his situation. But life was against him this time.

The bathroom door swung open, and when he turned around, he found himself staring at a tired Marshall Lee—prominent bags under his eyes and messy hair—. He had a purple eye... Gabriel didn't remember punching anyone, so where did that...? He must have gotten in trouble again. And it was no surprise.

Marshall just cringed when he saw the other teen.

He looked ready to kill him.


	2. In My Veins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keith is the genderbend of Keila, another vampire girl that appears in the official comics "Marceline and The Vampire Queens"  
> He'll have more protagonism later on.

There was no point.

There just was no point in getting up.

It didn't matter anymore.

The black haired teen sat on his bed, eyes concentrated on his guitar as he gently strummed the cords and hummed a small melody along with it. He was exhausted, but that was the best he could do to relieve his nerves.

_Nothing goes as planned._  
_Everything will break._  
_People say goodbye._  
_In their own special way._

Marshall sighed through his nose. He was getting frustrated again.

_All that you rely on._  
_And all that you can fake._  
_Will leave you in the morning._  
_But find you in the day._

_Oh, you're in-_

He just stopped. _Stop,_ he told himself. His mind was starting to pull sick pranks on him and he didn't like them at all.

"Fuck it."

Enraged as he started out, he got up from his resting place and put his shirt on. He was going out, probably to buy some beers and mess himself up. It was a better way to spend the day instead of playing stupid songs after all.

* * *

What was it like to be a depressed teenager?

Not nice, anyone could tell you that. But when no one knew about your issues, or cared about them, things became heavier.

He in particular, had been born into a disfunctional family, which just helped him carry an unhappy childhood all the way to his teenage years, where he started acting erratically to deal with the anxiety attacks he would experience every now and then. Along with the love for music he had discovered around those years, Marshall had developed a punk-ish style that helped him cover up any signs of depression he could show. Instead of thinking he was depressed, that he needed help, people just thought he was messed up, or that he did all of the things he did just for the sake of it.

With now only eighteen years old, he had repeated years twice due to his learning problems and lack of interest in school. It was like he was stuck in a cycle that never ended. Same people, same teachers, same feelings, same loneliness. He saw countless of faces everyday, but did they see him...? He was empty, there was nothing that could make him feel full again, and it's not like he hadn't tried. There was a time where company and love seemed like the solution, and it actually made him feel something apart from that dread he always carried with him. That, until the person he loved started growing distant. He just wished to be numb, he longed for that feeling to not feel at all.

He gave small chugs to the can of beer he had bought whilst he leaned his back against that alleyway wall. It had become a habit to him; whenever he wanted to be alone, he would always sit down in that small alleyway as he chugged a beer or smoked a cigarette. For some reason, this helped him reflex, to think about how shitty life was, or how shitty life was getting with every day that passed.

As if he wasn't feeling pissed enough, the mildly annoying vibration of his phone interrupted his busy mind. _I knew I should've left the damn thing home._

 _Speaking of the devil._ He wasn't surprised to see that name popping in the screen. It echoed through his mind and caused him to cringe. In part, it was his fault, he had labeled the contact that way when he was young and stupid. He could had easily changed it to _"stupid bitch"_ or _"selfish crap"_ even things like _"i'll never have you fully"_ and _"not mine anymore."_

 _«_ _ **∆shley**_ : yo Mar Mar. Are you free rn?»

His girlfriend. Or his _"girlfriend"_. What a little crap she was. Selfish little crap. She was never there for him, and when she was, it was just to justify her absence and give him presents to compensate him. If she was seeing other people, little did Marshall know, but what he did know is that he just didn't care. He had given up trying long ago. If Ashley had grown tired of him, it was fair enough, why should he make a big deal about it when it didn't even matter?

After just ignoring the message and stuffing the device into his pocket, he stood up; his can was empty, and it was getting late.

He walked back home, letting the rain soak his raven hair. Despite having lost his umbrella, he still didn't mind walking under the rain, staying home was driving him crazy. And since his mind enjoyed torturing its host, it started flashing images of the events that had taken place earlier in the day. The encounter, the fight, the moments seconds before it ended, the look on the other boy's face… Every single thing. He groaned as he tried to shake off the odd feeling on his chest, but to no avail. It was useless.

He couldn't help but wonder; _when had they ended up like that?_ He remembered the first time they had talked—or well, the first time Gabriel had talked to him—.

He had this annoyingly gentle smile on his lips, and it seemed like he was trying way too hard to put his nerves away even though at simple sight, one would think the boy was about to have an anxiety attack.

He had only mumbled a small "hello" before Marshall just proceeded to push him away.

He didn't like him. He didn't like him at all. He had never liked him. Gumball had that "perfect kid" complex that Marshall found to be extremely petty and annoying. He was good at everything, while Marshall could barely try without finding himself failing. Teachers loved him, a fair amount of students too—or at least they seemed to like him—, while Marshall was just avoided by everyone. He was always rubbing his happiness in everyone's faces, Marshall had to struggle with depression and anxiety every day. He never picked on anyone unless he was picked on, Marshall hated everyone. Long story short, he was just pretending to be a sweet, smart and innocent boy when he was probably a mess when he was alone, like Marshall himself.

He was pretty sure Gabriel had this boy Finn and his sister protecting him from bullies too. Weakness at its finest.

Despite all the flaws one could spot in the other teen, Marshall could still feel tightness in his chest. He wasn't sure what it was, but he didn't like it. Was he really feeling bad for Gabriel? In a way, yes. What could it be of him now? Was he okay? Was he hurt? Was he dead? What if he had told somebody what had happened? What if he had told everyone? People would avoid him even more… What if he really hated him that much…?

Wow… Never in his life had Marshall expected to hear those words. Fair enough, even his mother had expressed her hatred for her own son, but he wouldn't say that. Not Gabriel. It was so out of character. He didn't hate anyone, he was so nice to everyone, but it seemed like he had found a reason to roll his eyes in disgust, a reason to be mad, a reason to _hate_.

Who wouldn't hate someone who just aimed a piece of broken glass at your neck? Someone who had spent his entire life trying to ruin your own?

Did Marshall have any other reason to torture this guy? Maybe he did, maybe not, he himself didn't even know.

Marshall sighed as he opened the main door and stepped into his house. No one was there. His mother was at work, and his father was probably hanging out with friends. Maybe Gabriel had a loving family as well, not like the shit Marshall had to live with.

As the troubled teen made his way to his room—his lair—, he felt free to toss his jacket away and let it fall somewhere else.

It was warm inside, at least he had that. Posters and drawings he himself had made decorated the dark purple walls, and a big window right to his bedhead displayed the gloomy weather outside. Wasn't that depressing? It didn't help him get out of the state he was in at all.

A slight scratching on the glass got him out of the abyss that was his mind.

It was a small Ragamuffin cat. And it seemed hungry, as it was desperately putting its claws against the windowsill and making noises.

Marshall seemed to smile.

"Hey, Schwabelle."

The female cat just got more eager to get into the room as she heard the teen speaking. Not wanting to torture the poor, and probably wet animal, he walked toward the window, unlocked it and pushed it open. Schwabelle got in without hesitating, letting herself be pet.

"Haven't seen you in a long time, girl."

Schwabelle and Marshall had a history together. The cat was his best friend, she was the only one who was always there for him. He had found her in the streets and brought her home, but his mother soon kicked her out. Despite that, she kept coming to Marshall's window every night to pay him a little visit, and he didn't complain. He let her spend the night, fed her, and then let her go, hoping she would come back the next day.

"Hey, my mom is gonna beat my ass if she finds you here… Just a small meal and then you can sleep under the bed, okay…?"

And said and done, Marshall handed the little cat a bowl of fish sticks he had gotten from the fridge and then went straight to bed. It was almost twelve A.M., he would hate to get caught up and with an animal in his room, so that was his only choice.

Another shitty day of a shitty life.

And wow, did his face hurt.

The best way to start the morning is with a nice breakfast and a swollen eye… Right?

He ate alone anyways, his dad was sleeping, his mother left early for work, it was all pretty convenient. He could always skip school… But he had already repeated a year, and he really wanted to get out of that hell hole and go to college. A perfect excuse to leave his infernal house as well.

As if his day wasn't going bad enough, he found out that it was still raining.

And he, without an umbrella. _Of course you dropped your umbrella, you dumbass._

_I wish I could be like the cool kids. Cool kids never forget their umbrellas… Cool kids don't go to school alone. Cool kids have friends that share their umbrellas with them… Cool kids are so wussy, man, fuck that._

Finally, he had made it to school. Luckily nobody noticed his black eye, and he had it calm enough throughout the first period. Unfortunately, the pain was starting to become unbearable. He found himself walking to the bathroom in the middle of lunch break.

Why did destiny hate him so much?

Surprise, surprise. Who was in the bathroom just when he decided to kick the door open?; Gabriel Gumball, washing his pretty boy face.

They both stared at each other before Marshall noticed the other boy was fixated into his swollen eye—As if he had never seen a purple eye before—.

"What are you staring at?"

Gabriel seemed to gasp and quickly turned away. He fidgeted nervously, as if he was trying way too hard not to ask questions. This just made Marshall roll his eyes as he stepped into the room, into the silence.

The black haired teen proceeded to wet his face, mostly his eye, with cold water.

And then it happened, out of nowhere.

"Are you okay?"

Gabriel was taken aback. He didn't seem to be expecting dialogue, much less a question like that. He stared at Marshall, clueless, while he just stared back coldly. He didn't think asking something would leave someone so shocked.

He just received a nod as response, to which he was forced to smile at, as much as it hurt to smile.

"Cool."

Silence. It filled the room. It was painful to hear it, the water flowing through the tap, but nothing else.

"Are you?"

"-Yes...! Yeah..."

"Oh..."

Who thought it would become so unbearable. He was actually talking to him without frowning, well, he _was_ frowning, but it seemed more out of concern than hatred. It was relieving, in a way. This was the first time in months someone had talked to him.

His chest tightened for a moment as he watched Gabriel exit the bathroom with no previous warning.

* * *

Was he jealous? Maybe.

Gabriel was so... Perfect...

He managed to do everything right.

Marshall on the other hand, was still pretty much useless. He was only good with his guitar, but he didn't gain much recognition from it either.

He wondered how would it feel if someone was nice to him. Gabriel was nice to everyone, but never to him. Of course there was a reason to it, he wasn't mad over a little argument, Marshall did make his life insufferable. But was he seeking attention out of it? Yes. He was basically yelling " _Look at me! I'm here! I need help_ " But nobody came.

He wished he could turn back time to the days where he used to be a mildly happy kid, running through the kindergarden floors, playing tag with other happy kids. Now he was a mess.

After almost getting lost in a void of dark thoughts and conclusions, he got to music class and sat down. He could spot a few brats and some decent students, all talking happily. They must've been free of worries, maybe they even did their homework... Unlike Marshall...

The only people he could really talk to were Keith Neville—His childhood friend and partner in crime eventually— and this other guy, Phillip Flamesman, a shy and annoyingly awkward redhead, but they both shared a punk style, and he was nice to talk to every now and then. Unfortunately, Keith had left... Long ago. So Phillip was his only choice.

Well... At least he wasn't suffering that much for that day, he talked to three people, it was nice, apart from him being troubled by the fact that he attacked and almost killed one of the nicest guys in school and his only opportunity to make a proper friend. Other than that, he was having the time of his life.

The teacher, Mo, proceeded to give a few music history lessons and then gave out some chords to practice in different instruments, and that was basically the entire class, at least it was one of the few Marshall really enjoyed.

And well... There went another day of his life. At least it wasn't the worst, and that was saying something.

The bell rang, it was about time it did, and as he let himself roam freely around the halls, he sighed. Another painful smile could be seen creeping on his lips. One could tell he wasn't happy by the look of it, it was more like a remorseful smile. No one was there to see it though, so he didn't need to worry about people witnessing his inner meltdown.

He secured his locker and made sure he didn't forget anything before stepping out the building. It was still raining for his surprise, he had completely forgotten. He huffed and leaned against the brick walls next to the exit door, in the space where he had coverage thanks to the roof that spread across until it reached a path of trees that led to the main gate. There, as he waited for the rain to stop, or for it to calm down a little, he took a package of cigarettes out of his bag and lit one up, making sure the wind didn't blow up the fire of his lighter.

Eyes fixated on the grey sky that was barely seen underneath the small roof, he sucked on the fag, filling his lungs with the cancerous smoke before blowing it out. It wasn't a great stress reliever, but it was something.

While he was doing his business, he heard the door swing open, and even though he could care less, he turned his head to it as a simple reflex. He saw a copper blonde head pop out, and then walk out. The boy had an umbrella in hands and an apologetic look on his face.

"Hey, Lee?" Gabriel sighed.

Marshall just couldn't think of anything to say and just nodded for him to proceed.

He got a delicate hand sticking out to him and handing him the umbrella it was previously holding carefully as if it was a baby.

As if it wasn't obvious, he was more than astonished, and Gabriel seemed to notice this.

"I bought it... For you, I guess." He moved his hand up to fix his glasses, but found nothing instead. They were now broken after all. He sighed. "Your previous one ended up completely broken, it had not solution to it... I felt bad, and this is a way to say sorry."

_Why in hell's name was he apologizing?_

"I'm just a weight on your back, so... Sorry for sticking my nose where I'm not supposed to. This actually got me in a lot of trouble with plenty of people before... I just don't realize what I'm doing until people point it out, heh..."

Without any newfound words, Marshall took the umbrella in hands. It had the shape of a cupcake. Pretty corny, but he couldn't complain, he didn't even know the reason of all the apologizes and kindness when he himself was the real asshole.

"D-Don't worry, though! I won't get in your way anymore and uh-!"

"What were you doing inside the academy... Everyone else left..."

"Oh... I stayed doing some late homework, and I'm waiting for Fionna to finish her fencing session. I just forgot to give you the umbrella and I thought you had left."

_Fionna? The Junior martial arts student?_

Marshall sighed and clenched the umbrella in his free hand as he blew another puff of smoke out, not caring if this action affected the other or not. He could hear him coughing a little, that's how he knew he wasn't used to the odor. Or maybe he was, but that didn't mean he would like being around it.

"Where's your umbrella?" He dared to ask. Gabriel didn't seem to be holding anything else than the object he had gifted to him.

The boy suddenly let out an awkward, half-hearted laugh "Don't worry about me! It's inside, right next to my bag, I'm not leaving yet, so I didn't think I would need it as of now."

"I wasn't worrying, I was just asking." He responded coldly.

He didn't know why, but the sass and coldness just escaped his lips involuntarely.

"Um... I'm leaving now... Thanks." The teen muttered before walking his way out of the place, leaving the other behind.

He soon found himself throwing the lit out cigarette away and stopping by a small mart to buy his daily alcoholic reward for another day of his life horribly spent.

And so he did. He spent the few dollars he had left on his pockets and bought himself a cold beer, despite the freezing weather outside. Even the owner of the store looked at him as if he was out of his mind. But what did she know, what if he really was?

He wasn't expecting to run into Gabriel again when he walked out the store.

It wasn't directly this time, but he saw him walking across the street. He didn't see Marshall standing there, and he didn't know why, but he felt like the luckiest guy in the world just because that didn't happen.

Gabriel was soaking wet, his hair was stuck to his face and covering most of it. He was hugging himself and holding his satchel in between his arms, trying to protect it from the rain water. He looked frustrated, sad, as all hell, he didn't look like himself, his aura had a gloomy feel to it.

Marshall couldn't help to stare at him, and then up at the umbrella he was given.

_It had the shape of a cupcake..._

So that's how it felt.

To be treated like a person. To someone to care...

But then why did it feel so wrong?


	3. Lost Boy

> "Hello!" He mused in a gentle tone, at least attempting to sound anything less than anxious.
> 
> He noticed how the boy turned to him with a cold expression, a menacing glare that made him step back. Why did this guy act like this? He was only thirteen years old, there was no reason to be so angry at the world, was it? Little did Gabriel know, he was just a naive teenager at the moment he decided to approach the other.
> 
> * * *
> 
> He was rough. He had a venomous tongue. The sarcasm that escaped his lips was like bullets. Everything about him was... Questionable, to say the least. He was a peculiar boy. Everyone feared him... Gabriel did too, he wasn't one to lie about that but for some reason, he still felt a strange simpathy for him.
> 
> Marshall Lee was always alone. He ate alone, he went home alone, he spent the breaks alone. It was depressing to watch. _Why_ was he that miserable?
> 
> Yet, Gabriel hated him. He hated him with all his might. He hated him for harassing him every day, of every year ever since they met each other, he hated him for all the stares he'd given him every single time—the one that you had with a stranger; emotionless and cold—. He hated him for forcing him to have the worst time one could have in his highschool years. He hated him because he simply hadn't known him very well.
> 
> It had been almost three weeks ever since the incident—Winter break was almost there. Only three days away—. They never talked to each other again, which was relieving in a way. But there was a strange feeling to it all, Marshall Lee didn't seem to casually ignore him like he used to do in previous years, now he was straight up avoiding him. Every time Gabriel was even close to him—whether it was in a class, or at the break, or at the exit— he would move away nervously, as if he was close to danger.
> 
> Being ignored wasn't such a big deal to the boy, he was ignored several times throughout his school years, by students, by some teachers. Despite trying his best to be noticed, like ending up as a honorary student almost every year, people still didn't really care, and he had grown used to it. But this was different, it felt as if Lee was... Afraid of him? No, it couldn't be. Why would _he_ be afraid of him? He, out of all the students. He was fearless, wasn't he...?
> 
> Gabriel let a shaky sigh escape his lips as he stood outside the music classroom, switching between classes was still annoying, he wished he could just go to the bakery club, or to science class everyday, but this was still Asheville academy, known for its discipline, and for it's rule of every class being obligatory. Music class wasn't all that interesting, the only instrument he was able to play was the piano—Thanks to his talented mother, former owner of one of the biggest bakery industries in the country—, and he wasn't that good at it.
> 
> Phillip was being late, again. He had been paired up with Gabriel to participate in one of the biggest art projects the academy had to offer every year. This year, it was organized by the music staff, last year, the contemporary and post-modern art class had made an amazing job.
> 
> He was expecting to give the best of him this year, despite his partner being sort of lazy.
> 
> "Gumball!"
> 
> _About time..._
> 
> He could spot a red-haired teen, waving his hand at him from the distance. He was running, and with the skips he would give every now and then, one would assume he was about to fall face first at any moment. _He still has that mohawk... He's had it like that since he was twelve._
> 
> "Phillip Flamesman. Where have you been?" He asked sharply, crossing his arms as he gave the other an expectant look. He felt confident enough to nag him, since he had known the guy since the Kindergarten, despite them not being the best of friends.
> 
> Phillip gave him an awkward smile. "Ahh... Marshall was keeping me busy. He seemed happy today... That's a weird thing to see." He laughed.
> 
> _Oh..._
> 
> Gabriel soon found himself looking over Phillip, just at the main doors, where he saw the dark figure walking to them, head down and hands into his pockets. He took this as a warning and quickly led his partner into the classroom. He didn't want to cause any more trouble by annoying that troubled guy with his presence.
> 
> He and Phillip sat down separatedly from the others, who did the same, to start working on their respective projects. Gabriel looked up at him, and as an attempt to lighten up the mood, he smiled.
> 
> "Finn is not with you after all..."
> 
> "He's with Marshall... I don't mind..."
> 
> He laughed and proceeded to roll his blue eyes. "I thought you and Finn were friends."
> 
> "It's not like it's his fault. Mo chose who got to be with who..." Phillip just shrugged at the statement.
> 
> Mo were one of the best teachers. They were fun to be with, they had an open-mind and relaxed personality, and they actually taught you stuff while keeping the ambient free of stress and tension. It had only been a year since they had asked everyone to refer to them as a non-binary individual, since they felt pretty uncomfortable being called a certain gender, and in a matter of days everyone accepted them... Or at least most of them. You still had the immature students who thought genders were a game.
> 
> Gabriel snickered and proceeded to take out music sheets he had bought. Some were empty, some were filled with notes and chords. This apparently made Phillip smile.
> 
> "So you have some ideas, already."
> 
> He just blushed in embarrassment. This was his own personal song, he didn't know Phillip, or anyone whatsoever would like it. So he wasn't going to use it. "Yes... My cousin helped me write. I told her the chords and she wrote it down... You know, I would have messed up without my glasses. At least I memorized half of the chords..." He shrugged.
> 
> "You should show me how it sounds!"
> 
> Great...
> 
> "But... This song is for piano..." That was the only excuse that came out of his mind.
> 
> "Don't be like that. This is the music room! Mo has a piano, please, we could use your song and get the best grades!" He laughed
> 
> Gabriel sighed helplessly and stood up, taking the roughly-written music sheets with him. He stood in front of the teacher and looked at them with a nervous gaze. They looked back at him with a small smile and after asking if he could practice in the piano and was given a yes, he looked around to make sure no one was watching. "Okay..." He muttered to himself, already sitting down in front of the instrument and placing the sheets in front of him. He didn't have to look at them, he knew part of the song like the palm of his hand.
> 
> So he started.
> 
> A couple of notes in and he noticed how Phillip sat down next to him, expectantly.
> 
> _"_ _There was a time when I was alone_
> 
> _Nowhere to go and no place to call home_
> 
> _My only friend was the man in the moon_
> 
> _And even sometimes he would go away, too"_
> 
> He started to feel a little more confident about the song, it sounded better than he had expected. At least his only audience was Phillip.
> 
> _"_ _Then one night, as I closed my eyes,_
> 
> _I saw a shadow flying high_
> 
> _He came to me with the sweetest smile_
> 
> _Told me he wanted to talk for awhile_
> 
> _He said, "Peter Pan—that's what they call me._
> 
> _I promise that you'll never be lonely."_
> 
> _And ever since that day..."_
> 
> Poor boy, he could barely noticed the silence slowly building up in the room, how everyone looked at him surprised.
> 
> _"_ _I am a lost boy from Neverland_
> 
> _Usually hanging out with Peter Pan_
> 
> _And when we're bored we play in the woods_
> 
> _Always on the run from Captain Hook_
> 
> _"Run, run, lost boy," they say to me,_
> 
> _"Away from all of reality."_
> 
> Was he lucky because of this? He probably was, but his panic slowly started to creep down his spine, making him barely turn around to look at half of the class staring at him.
> 
> _"_ _Neverland is home to lost boys like me  
> _
> 
> _And lost boys like me are free..._
> 
> _Neverland is home to lost boys like me_
> 
> _And lost boys like me are..."_
> 
> And he stopped, both from the nerves and because he was starting to forget the chords.
> 
> "A-And... That's what I've got so far..." He sighed as he turned around and saw everyone either giggling, whispering or just staring.
> 
> Was that good? Was that bad? Anxiety was slowly building up in his body, and made him stand up, grab his papers and sit down at the table again, as if nothing had happened.
> 
> "I didn't know he could play instruments... If he wasn't so quiet..." He heard some girls say. He just tried his best to ignore his surroundings.
> 
> The hours passed, at least people stopped looking at him with those menacing eyes. But he still felt uneasy, he still felt a gaze all over him. When he lifted his own eyes from the paper he was writing on, he noticed it. The last person he would have expected to stare at him. Marshall Lee looked shocked, surprised, almost sad, but as soon as they made eye contact, he looked away.
> 
> Despite already having an idea of what their song could be, Gabriel slowly turned his head to Phillip and frowned up at him. He needed to come up with his own ideas too, he didn't want to do the whole thing by his own, it was more than unfair.
> 
> The bell soon rang, and Phillip, along with Gabriel had managed to write chords of his own, which he was proud of. He decided to take them home and finish the first page by his own. Gabriel trusted him, he could do a good job when he wanted to.
> 
> When he walked out of the classroom, his attention was dragged away by a bright object, resting by the side of the door.
> 
> _The cupcake umbrella._
> 
> He almost let out a surprised gasp, but deciding it was better to keep it quiet, he got on his knees and took it in his hands. Inside it, he found another surprise. A case that contained a pair of new glasses. _No... No, it can't be..._
> 
> Those couldn't be the exact recipe the ophthalmologist had given him. He had to call him, to tell him they were ready. But when he tried them on, he could see everything perfectly clear. But how...? He was starting to get paranoid. He even found himself taking the glasses off and putting them into the case once again. This was no good. Did Marshall Lee do this? Had he found out that umbrella was his own? He could be mad because he lied to him. This was wrong.
> 
> With the lunch break all to himself, and the Mertens twins, he felt free to leave his mind empty. He didn't want to stress himself out again, he had had enough, then he couldn't sleep at night. As he gave a bite to his sandwich, the twins started to joke around and to ask about his abilities with the piano. Fionna was younger, she wouldn't know, but her brother was always there to tell her everything.
> 
> He faked smiles, and laughter as his mind always managed to drag him away everytime he would hear those cheerful voices. Those two never worried about anything.
> 
> His phone vibrated in his pocket, making him distance himself from the conversation to check it. At first, he thought it was his mother's close friend—Pepper—, to tell him she was already in his home. She went there everyday to do some cleaning when no one was there do it.
> 
> But, surprisingly, Pepper's text was nowhere to be seen.
> 
> « **Unknown** : can i see you outside of school?»
> 
> * * *
> 
> He never found out who that text was from until he decided to do what he was told.
> 
> As soon as the last bell rang, he took some books he would need out of his locker and started walking out. The text never stated an specific time of meeting, but he was going sort of late, considering he—and probably Fionna with her fencing classes— were the only ones at bulding at the moment he had decided to attend.
> 
> He was nervous. His mother had always told him not to involve himself with strangers, much less with creepy strangers, like the source of the text seemed to be. But at the same time, the curiosity was killing him.
> 
> He stepped out of the building and turned his head to every direction he could, until he saw nobody but Marshall Lee sitting against the brick walls, protected by the heavy rain thanks to the small roof that covered the entrance. He had earphones on, he seemed to be in his own world. He was invested in the academy campus, watching the grass getting wet along with the trees. It had stopped raining a week ago, but had started once again to ruin everyone's life—Winter was an ass—. Marshall seemed to like rain, though. He was smiling tiredly at the sight.
> 
> _"I'm insane... Well I can feel it in my bones..._
> 
> _Coursing through my veins, when did I become so cold..."_
> 
> He was singing quietly to himself, probably along with the music he was listening to.
> 
> Gabriel looked down at his hands. He was resting one on top of the other, wearing fingerless gloves that didn't seem that warm. His jacket sleeves were slightly rolled up, letting the boy notice big, and seemingly fresh scars in the other's wrists. This made his heart race. He knew those weren't casual, he knew those were never a good sign.
> 
> He was about to ask about them, but quickly backed up. He was pretty sure it was a personal subject.
> 
> After minutes of just standing there, the other finally noticed his presence.
> 
> "Oh... You came."
> 
> He snickered silently when he saw the umbrella while he crossed his arms, hiding the worrying scars. Marshall took one of the earphones off and let out a sigh.
> 
> "So you sent the message..."
> 
> "You could say I did, Sherlock."
> 
> Gabriel couldn't help but to snort at this. Being the nerd he was, he could get a lot of references by his own.
> 
> After trying to play it cool and prentend he never laughed, the boy placed the umbrella agaisnt the wall and put his arms behind him, giving Marshall an apprehensive look, as if trying really hard to get him to speak. Noticing the other just sat there the entire time, giving him a smuggy smirk, he decided to speak first then.
> 
> "Why—?"
> 
> "—I wanted to talk to you."
> 
> "Why did you return the umbrella—?"
> 
> "—Why did you give it to me?"
> 
> The tension was easily affecting both of them. Gabriel was nervous, speechless, while Marshall seemed angry, defiant to get him to answer truthfully. Since when did he care about his opinion? Couldn't he accept that he was just trying to be nice? All these senseless fights were starting to become unbearable. He saw that Marshall took the other earphone off, meaning he was being completely serious. If he knew one thing about him, is that music was his passion, one of the only things able to make him happy, and now he was putting it away for a simple "talk".
> 
> "I-I bought it to you, I told you."
> 
> The other seemed displeased. "Why are you lying to me?!"
> 
> Gabriel gave a step back, in a mix of fear and anxiety that was making his vision blurry. "I-I..."
> 
> "Answer to me! You're driving me crazy! What is wrong with you?!" Marshall yelled, standing up this time and dropping his phone to the stone floor. He could care less.
> 
> "I do care, okay!? You are either angry, or sad every single day and it's getting unbearable, you—"
> 
> This time, it was Marshall the one to give a step back with a barely audible gasp. He had almost even fallen to the ground.
> 
> "W—hy do you even care about me...?" His voice cracked. This boy was broken. "You've been avoiding me for six years straight... I'm just a problem to everyone... I've made your life miserable and..."
> 
> "And you've been avoiding me, Lee. Did I ever do something bad to you?"
> 
> "W-Well, yeah... You are so per—"
> 
> "You're messing with my head, ruining my mood, everyone's mood, besides—" Just seconds after he mused these last words, his eyes widened as he noticed his mistake. His mind was blurry, his words were getting mixed up, and thanks to that, he came up as a pretentious kid who only did things for his own sake, not caring about people with real problems. Something he didn't mean at all. "W-Wait, n-no! I'm so sorry, I just wanted to-!"
> 
> Marshall didn't say a word, he just stood there, frozen, with tears that threatened to run down his cheeks at any time. His expression was unreadable, but there was one emotion Gabriel could make out; Marshall was hurt.
> 
> Before he could even mutter another useless apologize, he was interrupted by the deep, once menacing voice—Now it just sounded empty—.
> 
> "I was going to say sorry, you selfish fuck..."
> 
> He ran away, just like the last time. It seemed Gabriel was made to ruin things, to ruin friendships, to ruin people. That was the last drop made the cup run over. Marshall was going to hate him for his entire life, and all because he couldn't think out his words like a normal person.
> 
> He walked home, umbrella in hands. It was the only thing he could do best—despite stepping over water puddles like his feet were in love with them—.
> 
> The now regretful boy decided to stop by the clinic to ask his ophthalmologist about the glasses. To his surprise, he admitted that someone that thought was his friend payed for them and took them.
> 
> After getting all that information from the doctor, he had made it official. _I'm a professional asshole. Congratulations._
> 
> He slammed the door shut behind him. Pepper was making dinner. He could have stopped by to say hello, but he wasn't up to it, not at all. He just waved her off lazily and stepped upstairs, to his room, to the place where he could watch foreign shows to distract himself, or where he could curse himself to sleep, so he could at least feel like less of a douchebag. It didn't really work, but it caused a slight relief in his chest.
> 
> As he was changing himself to more comfortable clothes after a warm shower—A lazy attempt to wash the idiocy out of himself—, he heard the buzzing of his phone, which was starting to become annoying as the seconds passed.
> 
> But as soon as he saw the sender of the message, the buzzing just became dreadful.
> 
> It was a text from Marshall Lee—He had finally gotten time to label the contact properly, although how he got his number was a mistery he had yet to solve—.
> 
> « **Marshall Lee** : hey»
> 
> It shocked him to see how quick he was to forget conflicts... Or maybe he was just texting him to cuss him out, either way, Gabriel had already given up. He had hurt him. He was a monster.
> 
> « **Me** : Hey?»
> 
> « **Marshall Lee** : do you remember when you first tried talking to me? that time when i went complete asshole mode on you and pushed you away?»
> 
> « **Me** : Yes...?»
> 
> « **Marshall Lee** : and then you just kept trying and trying and talking to me everyday. it was like you were determined to annoy me and to be my friend lmao. you never gave up»
> 
> _Where was he going with this?_
> 
> « **Me** : Haha, yes! And then I ended up inviting you to have lunch with me :)»
> 
> He was starting to feel better. He was really having a friendly chat with the person that almost killed him, with the person that he hurt with stupid words. He could already picture Marshall smiling on the other side of the phone.
> 
> « **Marshall Lee** : don't be an ass save those emojis for someone else. they are fucking annoying»
> 
> « **Marshall Lee** : and then i ended up going with you because i felt bad for your sorry ass»
> 
> Gabriel couldn't help but laugh to himself, silently. He could tell that behind those sharp digits, he was trying to be funny.
> 
> « **Me** : I do, I do.»
> 
> « **Marshall Lee** : i started remembering today and i just wanted to tell you that»
> 
> « **Marshall Lee** : y'know»
> 
> « **Marshall Lee** : i really appreciate that»
> 
> « **Marshall Lee** : it made me really happy»
> 
> « **Marshall Lee** : even if i didn't show it»
> 
> Now Gabriel was just staring at the screen. No proper response crossed his mind, he was completely shocked. He never took the time to ask him how he felt after that day and now this guy came out of nowhere and was confessing how happy he was to have company. He was starting to feel like an ass again. He should have approached him when he had the opportunity, didn't he? He should have insisted...
> 
> « **Me** : Lee... Can I ask you something?»
> 
> « **Marshall Lee** : spit it out, punk»
> 
> « **Me** : Did you»
> 
> « **Marshall Lee** : hurry up dude»
> 
> « **Me** : Did you take my new glasses from the clinic today?»
> 
> « **Me** : My doctor told me someone had paid for them, took them and left, and I casually found them today, next to the umbrella you returned to me...»
> 
> « **Me** : Why did you do it?»
> 
> No response.
> 
> « **Me** : Lee...»
> 
> « **Me** : Did you even do it...?»
> 
> **«** _**Marshall Lee went offline** _ **»**


	4. Update!

Hey everyone! I'm sorry for the inactivity, school has kept me really busy these past months. However, I do plan to update this story. Write it all over, in fact! I'm inspired and to be honest, I don't like how this came out, it seems kinda rushed and I want to write an actual story with actual character development and actual feeling. So if you're still up to it, I'm going to be posting the new story anytime soon, start fresh! <3  
Thank you so much for the nice reviews and for keeping up with this story, it means a lot to me as an inspiring author <3


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